It’s time to fix how Hawaii rebuilds

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

My heart goes out to all the families and business owners throughout our islands who are faced with recovering from yet another natural disaster.

Just last week, Hurricane Lala battered south Hawaii Island and continued on a path of destruction across the state, making it Hawaii Island's closest brush with a hurricane in more than 150 years and the most powerful storm to strike the islands since Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai in 1992.

Current estimates indicate that at least one person died and more than 100 families lost their homes on Hawaii Island. Dozens more properties were damaged or destroyed on Maui and Oahu. Meanwhile, thousands of our friends and neighbors are still without power, and flooding washed away critical bridges on Hawaii Island and Maui.

Earlier this year, back-to-back Kona low storms brought devastating rainfall to many Hawaii communities. And three years ago, wildfires on Maui caused horrific property damage and loss of life in Lahaina and severely affected parts of Kula and Kihei.

As we begin to recover from Lala, and even as we brace for more possible storms in the coming days, I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of support I have seen in person and online. As usual, Hawaii’s people are working together to help provide for immediate needs such as food, water and shelter. 

At the same time, all of us — individuals, businesses and government officials — must also look ahead to recovery and rebuilding. 

I am glad to see that Hawaii’s state and county governments have begun mobilizing to simplify recovery efforts. For instance, Honolulu is allowing repair work to begin without permits and waiving fees for rebuilding, and Maui is waiving Special Management Area rules for storm debris removal and emergency repairs. 

These changes are a promising start, but officials should build on this momentum with further reforms. Instead of simply reacting to the latest crisis, they need to look ahead and actively plan how to recover from future catastrophes, which are sure to strike again and again. 

As my Grassroot Institute colleague Jonathan Helton has shared in the past, many state and county laws unintentionally make it extremely difficult for people to rebuild their homes, businesses and places of worship after natural disasters. 

Sure, the governor and county mayors can use emergency orders to ease these hurdles in the short term. But the Legislature and county councils need to create lasting flexibility in how our regulations are crafted and enforced.

With the next round of storms looming, I encourage everyone to remember that relief and recovery go hand in hand. 

Making people whole after a storm means making it simple for them to rebuild their lives. And the more we do to prepare for that ahead of time, the better.

E hana kākou! (Let’s work together!)